The purpose of this project is to examine the mechanisms of recovery of function following damage to the neocortex in rats. In the past year, I have focussed on the behavioral effects of lesions in the caudal forelimb area of the somatic sensorimotor cortex. This project includes a comparison between the recovery patterns of rats receiving lesions as adult vs neonates as well as the effects of MK-801 (an noncompetitive antagonist at the N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor) when administered after behavioral recovery. The rat is the model species because the sensorimotor impairments following lesions have been studied most extensively in this species.